Story and Photos by Michael Brunk

Something a little different happened this past Friday (Feb. 26th) at John F. Kennedy Catholic High School in Burien. As the end of the school day approached, students and faculty gathered in the gymnasium.

That part isn’t so unusual for a high school.

It’s not often though, that they assemble to see a teacher get tattooed. At school. During the assembly!

The event was an outgrowth of the school’s recent “Every Lancer Against Cancer” awareness week. Part of the activities included raising money for several cancer-related funds. To spur the students on, American Government teacher Walt Kostecka issued a challenge (as we first reported here):

Raise $10,000 and he’d get inked.

The students threw themselves into the fundraising effort and Walt put himself in the hands of tattoo artist Bryan Kachel from Emerald City Tattoo & Supply – here’s a Photo Slideshow I shot at the event:

Click to View Michael Brunk’s Photo Slideshow

That the students met their goal shouldn’t surprise anyone. As Principal Michael Prato noted, it’s difficult to find a family that hasn’t been touched by cancer in one way or another. Their enthusiasm for learning about cancer and its affects, and collecting donations, carried over into the assembly. As Walt sat onstage with Bryan and his buzzing tattoo needle, the students conducted a pep rally around him. Complete with the school’s band, shouting cheerleaders and plenty of spirited applause.

Asked afterward how it felt getting his first tattoo, Walt replied:

“It felt like being stuck in a blackberry bush… for an hour!”

Walt shared that the real experience was watching his students get involved and raise the $10,000. He’s already thinking about next year and kicking around the idea of sky diving. Based on the response of his family members in attendance, Walt may have a challenge himself meeting that goal!

Former Washington Gov. Al Rosellini, who celebrated his 100th birthday Thursday (Jan. 21st), will be the guest of honor at Burien’s Kennedy Catholic High School this Sunday, Jan. 24 at a 3pm Italian dinner to raise funds for a scholarship named after him.

The “Governor Albert D. Rosellini Scholarship” benefits deserving students at Kennedy Catholic, where two of his great-grandchildren are students, and which all four of his grandchildren attended, according to Joe Faccone of the school’s Advancement Department.

Sponsored by the school and Sons of Italy Lodge 1390, the event starts at 3 p.m. with a reception in the cafeteria of the school, which is located at 140 South 140th Street. A dinner featuring traditional Italian fare will be served at 4 p.m., with a program celebrating the former governor’s centennial at 5 p.m.

Tickets are $50, and can be purchased at the door.

An invocation will be given by Oratorian Father Clarence Jones, parochial vicar of Our Lady of Mount Virgin Parish in Seattle, the Rosellini family’s native parish.

Gov. Rosellini, who served two terms from 1957 to 1965, noted in a 2008 letter to the Kennedy Catholic community that he has strong ties with the school in addition to the fact that his offspring went there. He met President John F. Kennedy, the school’s namesake, on several occasions and in 1962 was selected chair of the U.S. governors to represent their collective concerns to the president.

“Then in 1964, shortly after his tragic passing, I was pleased to learn that the first high school in the nation to bear his name was going to be the new Catholic high school in Seattle,” the governor wrote.

For more information, or to donate to the scholarship fund, call 206-246-0500.

Burien’s John F. Kennedy Catholic High School is holding a one-week “Every Lancer Against Cancer” fundraising drive from Jan. 25th through the 29th, and if their goal of $10,000 is met, veteran teacher Walt Kostecka (see his website here) has vowed that he’ll get a tattoo.

Kostecka is a Social Studies teacher who’s been at JFK for 34 years, and if the $10K goal is met, he’ll get a tattoo, chosen by an online poll (you can see and vote on it here).

Here’s the info from JFK’s website:

Every Lancer Against Cancer is a one week effort by the Kennedy family to raise money and educate ourselves about cancer. If our financial goal of $10,000 is met, Mr. Kostecka will get a tattoo.

Cancer awareness week is January 25-29.

If people want to donate they can send a check made out to Kennedy Catholic Cancer Awareness and mail to:

Kennedy High School c/o Walt Kostecka
140 S. 140th Street
Burien, WA. 98168

(Individuals are also encouraged to donate straight to the cause of your choice if you choose not to donate at Kennedy. )

Money raised at Kennedy will go to the following:

• Leukemia Society in honor of Brian McClusky and Courtney Caldwell
• Prostate Cancer Foundation in honor of Dave Danforth and Fr. Batterberry
• Fred Hutchinson Center in honor of Shane Cambronero, Gloria Strauss, Jennica McPherson, Steve Mclender and Richard Larkken?
• Candlelighters – an organization that helps families that have kids with cancer
• Terri Crosswhite who is fighting breast cancer

Throughout the week we will have various activities:

• In the front lobby of the school there will be boards placed where families can put pictures of family members who have lost the fight with cancer, pictures of family members who are presently fighting cancer, and family members who are cancer survivors.
• There will be an all school mass on Thursday, January 28th for the family members who have deceased, for family members fighting cancer and cancer survivors. All of the Kennedy family is welcomed to attend. The pictures of family members posted on the lobby will be brought to the Mass.
• The daily bulletin will have facts for the students about the fight against cancer.

Students are being asked to wear specific colors on the following days in support of various cancers:

• Monday Pink / breast cancer
• Tuesday Orange / Leukemia
• Wednesday Black / Melanoma
• Thursday Gold / Childhood cancer
• Friday Dark blue / Colon cancer

On Friday, January 29th, Mr. Kostecka will have a tattoo at the assembly if $10,000 is raised!

Here are the four tattoo candidates for Mr. Kostecka – which do YOU think he should get if the goal is met?:

You can help choose Mr. Kostecka’s New Tattoo by voting here.

Beginning Saturday (Sept. 19th), Burien’s John F. Kennedy High School’s football games will be broadcast on the internet for the second season, thanks to Ronnie Wald of Waldcast.net.

If you can’t make it to Highline Stadium, you can listen to Saturday’s game against Evergreen (start time is 1:30pm), by clicking here.

Here’s a re-published Q&A with Ronnie Wald (originally posted Sept. 7, 2008), Founder/Broadcaster of Waldcast.net:

Q: Has anyone ever broadcast football games for JFK High before?

A: We’re entering a new realm here…MOST high schools have not attempted this. Thanks to the internet, we’re now introducing a new way of thinking–yes, now local high schools can have play by play of their games on a regular basis. When, I started packaging broadcasts for california high schools in the 80’s, the only available avenue was contracting with a (not always agreeable) local radio station. We have now eliminated the middle man in that “terrestial” radio outlet–as waldcast.net becomes, in effect, the radio station…internet radio, that is.

Q: Will you be doing the play-by-play from the stadium or will someone else?

A: I handle the play by play duties which dovetails nicely with the moniker of the network.

Q: How long has Waldcast been doing high school sports?

A: After 27 years in sports play by play and hundreds of lifetime broadcasts under my belt–it all seems like one big blue mist to me. Let me say that for the last five years, the significant moment in my career was breaking away from local radio stations by creating my own network with waldcast.net. I now work wherever and whenever I choose and cut my own deals with teams. Ad rates fall significantly with a “waldcast” since we obviously don’t have the radio overhead. Also, we offer so much more in that any computer “around the world” can now listen to a Kennedy Football game–that includes you in burien or a grandma in denver–there’s just no limit. Additionally, we have a free archive where players and coaches’ who missed the broadcast the first time can come back and relive the memories over and over again. Plus, at midnight after the webcast, I have numbers that show how many were listening and where. That adds real value to my marketing push with local sponsors. In fact, thanks to the research, waldcast.net has now been heard in 49 states and over 20 foreign countries..not bad for a humble, little one-man network!

Q: Are you expanding into the Northwest with JFK games?

A: I’ve come to the Northwest to gauge the interest and partner with one of the finest prep programs in Washington at Kennedy. Thanks to the mobility of the internet..I can travel to wherever i’m needed to get the job done..right now I am needed in Burien. I literally carry this network “on my back”.

Q: How does internet broadcasting work? Is it a big operation?

A: It can be an overextended, major operation if you try to follow an example of a major network. What I’ve perfected is the one-man network where play by play, engineering and commercials are all merged in into a somewhat chaotic whole. People compliment me on how I work at such a high level while juggling all the jobs that joe buck and bob costas never have to concern themselves with.

Q: What does it take for an internet user to listen to games live?

A: Not much…just download the QuickTime Audio Player (Windows Media won’t work). There’s also a link for the free download on our game menu.

Q: What does the future hold for internet broadcasting?

A: I feel like Columbus who is first to make a claim in this brave “new world”. It won’t be too long before everybody will get on the bandwagon and offer “live streaming” of any game, anywhere. Once the “genie is out of the bottle” it will become an accepted fact that if–you have a stadium and a game and fans…you will naturally offer a broadcast component..which will be as omnipresent as hot dogs or the marching band. The only trump card with all this perpetual streaming: what will be the quality of the given broadcast product? Your choice..quantity or quality? Its a great thing if you don’t have to sacrifice one for the other..and easier on the listeners’ ears..if you have both.

Q: What other work have you done?

A: My Northwest connections include broadcasts from Gongaza, Seattle Pacific, University of Portland, Portland State, and from University of Idaho and Boise State. In 2006, Seattle University hired me to provide webcasts of their softball team in the NCAA regional in California. Another example of the power of the web…the redhawks didn’t want to fly a broadcaster down to Stanislaus state..so, there I was..ready to broadcast on a moment’s notice.

Sure, the internet sometimes has you flying off the seat of your pants..but, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Most of all we try to have fun on the these games and really highlight the student athlete. I know the emails I get from appreciative parents makes it all worth it.

Kennedy’s football schedule:

9/3	@ Puyallup	7:00
9/12	vs. Tyee	1:30*
9/19	@ Evergreen	1:30*
9/26	vs. Highline	1:30*
10/2	@ Foster	7:00
10/9	vs. Renton	7:00*
10/16	@ Lindbergh	7:00
10/22	@ Hazen	7:00
10/29	vs. Mt Rainier	7:00*

More info on Kennedy’s football team can be found here.

More info on the webcasts can be found at Waldcast.net.

John F. Kennedy High School, which has made Burien its home for over 42 years, will be holding its annual KATCH Auction over two nights: Friday April 24th and Saturday, April 25th at the JFK Gymnasium.

KATCH stands for Kennedy Action Toward Christian Heritage, and is an annual benefit auction extravaganza in support of Kennedy High School. Tuition covers only a portion of the expense of providing the superior academic, athletic, artistic and spiritual education that Kennedy offers. The additional funds generated by KATCH are a major component of Kennedy’s capacity for excellence.

Each evening will feature silent and live auctions, excellent food, great raffles and a gym transformed into “An Evening with the Stars.”

Both Friday and Saturday evening are a great time for guests to mingle with friends, network with clients, and most importantly, show their support for the outstanding work Kennedy is doing.

Friday night, April 24th, will be a casual, family event. Packages are designed to meet every budget and special attention is given to items that will appeal to families. Admission is free and no reservations are required.

The evening of Saturday, April 25th will be Hollywood style semi-formal, with a delicious sit-down dinner and a full live auction.

Reservations are required.

KATCH is the biggest social fundraising event on the Kennedy calendar and tables fill fast for this entertaining evening.

The auction is a time for the Kennedy community to come together and demonstrate its commitment to this institution. Many hours of dedicated volunteer work lead up to two nights of food, entertainment and the satisfaction of making a difference.

Tickets are $75 per person, and can be bought online safely and securely here, or by calling the KATCH Office at 206.246.5212 x399 or via email: KATCH@KennedyHS.org.

SOME ITEMS UP FOR BID:

Vacations:

• Cabo
• Mazatlan
• Palm Springs
• Reno

Experiences:

• A Gentlemen’s Poker Party
• Whiskey Table at the Rainier Club
• Coach for a Game
• Private Rooftop Party
• Attend Tice Ranch Retreat with Fr. Spitzer
• Father B’s Fish Fry
• Dinner with Mariners Manager Don Wakamatsu
• Beach Bash
• More…

Other items:

• Take home an Xbox Package
• Outdoor Fireplace
• Diamond Bracelet
• Wine Rack
• Sports Tickets

For a student you know, give them the gift that keeps on giving:

• Reserved Parking
• Jeans Monday for the 2009-10 school year

There will also be Tuition Raffle Tickets sold for ONE free tuition for a JFK student during the 2009-10 school year. Each ticket sells for only $100, and there are only 500 tickets available.

The winner will be drawn at the KATCH Family Night Auction on Friday, April 24. Winner need not be present to win, but if the winner is present, they will receive a BONUS $250 UW Bookstore Gift Certificate.

For more information, go to the KATCH website or download a PDF with full details.

Busy and festive Saturday in Burien today, and here’s a quick rundown of just some of the goings-on (click on the links to get full details of each):

• 9am – 4pm: John F. Kennedy High School’s Parents’ Club is sponsoring an Arts & Crafts Fair at the JFK gym.
  
• 10am – 5pm: You can win a Santa Bag full of local goodies, enjoy hay rides and discounts galore at Winterfest, which is going on throughout downtown Burien. While there, be sure to look for the Seafair Pirates Holiday Treasure Chests at Goodie Gumdrops and Dan the Sausageman; and don’t forget to bring an unused coat for the Daisy Girl Scouts’ “One Warm Coat” drive at SW 152nd & 9th Ave SW in Olde Burien!
  
• 10am – 3pm: Moshier Community Art Center is holding its annual Holiday Pottery Sale at 430 South 156th Street.
• 7pm: KidSounds, YouthSounds & TeenSounds Northwest present their special “We Need a Little Christmas” holiday show at the Highline Performing Arts Center.
• 8pm: “Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol” continues at Burien Little Theatre.

We know there’s plenty of other activities going on today, so just consider this a taste of what you can be doing in B-Town today.

John F. Kennedy High School’s Parents’ Club is sponsoring an Arts & Crafts Fair this Saturday, Dec. 6th at JFK’s gym from 9am to 4pm.

According to the flyer above, there will be:

• Many talented arts & crafts vendors
• Delicious Food
• Espresso
• Smoothies
• Face Painting
• Holiday Bake Sale

JFK is located at 140 South 140th Street in Burien:

View Larger Map

by Janet Grella

It is often agreed that most people over five years old and living in the United States on November 22, 1963 will remember exactly where they were when they found out that President John F. Kennedy was killed by an assassin’s gunshot in Dallas, Texas.

Today is the 45th Anniversary of this event that robbed us of our first Catholic president. The BTB thought we’d look back at this common memory through the eyes and memory of a local man who was there.

I met Tim Leahy at the Des Moines Legacy Foundation’s 9th Annual Bayside Brunch at Anthony’s Homeport recently. He was the Auctioneer, I was a volunteer.  Through the course of conversation, I learned that he not only had lived in Dallas with his family, he was at the actual parade.

His Dad Richard took Tim (6th grade), sisters Cathy (8th grade) and little sister June (5th grade) out of class to see the first Roman Catholic President. Mom Patricia was home with his two younger brothers.  From their vantage point they saw the presidential plane landing and Love Field.  The Leahy family were very excited as the Presidential Lincoln Convertible drew past their spot real slow.  Dad was taking home movies on an 8mm camera. Once they passed, Mr. Leahy got the kids in the car and drove them to a nearby restaurant for lunch.

In what Tim said was “no longer than 10-15 minutes, we walked into the restaurant; everyone was gathered around a radio, weeping.  A waitress told them the President had been shot.  Dad rushed over to St. Monica’s Catholic Church to pray for the president, his family and the country.”

Although they had planned to go back to school at St. Monica’s, they were taken home to start what would be a three-day television broadcast.

Like all viewers on Saturday morning, Tim and his family watched Jack Ruby kill Lee Harvey Oswald in the garage of Dallas Police Headquarters surrounded by policeman and detectives.  Let the conspiracy theories begin!

Walter Cronkite of CBS News broke into the CBS soap opera “As the World Turns” to tell the nation President Kennedy had been shot about 12:35pm CST and rushed to the hospital – here’s a video clip of that very moment:

At 1:38pm CST Mr. Cronkite was back on screen to tell American that our 35th President of the United States had died, about 38 minutes ago at 1:00pm:

BTB wants to know where were you when Kennedy died, and what were you doing?

Email us or post a Comment below…

On-the-scene Reporter Mark Neuman called in with this update just minutes ago:

“The Kennedy High School Lancers whooped Tyee High School 42-6 in football at Highline Stadium tonight.

Highlight of the game was the first quarter, when #2, a guy named Trey, scored not one, not two, but three touchdowns.

In one quarter.

Himself.”

We’ll be reporting more high school Sports scores soon, so stay tuned for more info and details.

And if you’re interested in becoming a Contributor for said local subjects, please email us!

Recently unearthed on YouTube:

“From an Super 8 mm film from a 1973 Kennedy High School in Burien, WA media class project.

Courtesy of Mike Medina. A classic use of stop-motion/action filming.”

Also featuring: Steve Brown, Pat McGowan, Pat Shaw, Brian Zykowski, Ray Ann Barkshire (?) and two others whose names are unfortunately out of frame.

NOTE: If you are one of these people, or know of them, please contact the B-Town Blog ASAP – we’d love to learn more about this project!